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Only an idiot would think I'm talking about modern grocery stores or food retail outlets. By the time bananas get to the domestic supply stores, they've been through several stages of packing and repacking, since I seriously doubt they're harvested in the cute little plastic bags that you find the bunches in at the store. During that process, any spiders that may have been hiding in the bunches have either been killed or decided to head for places that weren't moving and much quieter.

Dog, you're probbly over-reacting with the "several stages of packing and repacking" bit.. Bananas bruise easily and I've not heard of anyone repacking them more than once (into the plastic bags) after they've left the plantation in a box.

Down here (2500 miles from the nearest plantation!) they're picked green, loaded onto a truck and kept in a big warehouse in cold storage. When needed in the store, they're artificially ripened (the green-on-the-outside-rotten-on-the-inside look) and put on the shelves the same day.

I'm guessing any spiders in the bunch will either freeze to death or get seriously bored and move on to the apple bin long before they need worry about the noise!..

07-10-2008 08:42 PM

scottbr

The side of Beckwith that faces Christian Island is the West side

Yes your right, sorry but I got the East / West backwards. That is our boat on the East side facing Giants Tomb, and was the only one on either side of Beckwith that night. A wind out of the North will make most of those anchorages more than lumpy. Got hit with a T-storm couple weeks ago in the middle of the night, 35 knot winds and rain going every which direction for an hour. One boat ( sail) dragged his anchor and blew sideways between us and a powerboat by 50 ft.

Oh, sorry, was I taking this thread off topic ???

07-10-2008 08:30 AM

sailingdog

Andre-

Only an idiot would think I'm talking about modern grocery stores or food retail outlets. By the time bananas get to the domestic supply stores, they've been through several stages of packing and repacking, since I seriously doubt they're harvested in the cute little plastic bags that you find the bunches in at the store. During that process, any spiders that may have been hiding in the bunches have either been killed or decided to head for places that weren't moving and much quieter.

I'm talking about them being found in shipping crates of bananas, as was the case 100 years ago when the rumor was first started, and as they are found nowadays. Growing up, my mother would take me to an open air market where the bananas were sold by the crate and at least once or twice a year, a large spider would be killed near or around the crates.

Beckwith is actually more East and West bays. The east side which faces Giants tomb, usually fills up with boats on the weekends. Last summer I counted well over 100 boats anchored on a long weekend. This year I've yet to see anymore than 20 ( gas prices ??? ) and spent Friday of the May long weekend there all by ourselves. (both sides)

You probably went to the East side, which faces Christian Island, and if you remember the prevailing winds on Georgian Bay are W to NW which meant you were facing right into them. I only go to the East side ( which BTW is our favorite) when the forecast calls for calm or winds from the East. There is another small bay on Christian which faces the east side of Beckwith with 10' sandy bottom, and again watch the winds overnight. We spent one night with NNW winds that the wind held the boat facing NW but the waves were curling in from the open water from the NE and rocking us from side to side ( large ) all night long.

This is the East side facing Giants Tomb.

That sailboat in the background (yours?) is anchored almost exactly where we were. The wind was blasting straight into the bay on the morning in question.
The left-hand side of he bay is aligned almost exactly North/South. The wind was coming in parallel to the Western shore of the bay. The side of Beckwith that faces Christian Island is the West side.
The wind was coming up from the South when we first approached Hope Island, so Sandy Bay was a bit lumpy. That's why we went over to the East side of Beckwith to get some shelter.
During the night the wind swung around to the North.
We motored straight out of the bay, past little Beckwith and rounded Motton Point to sail over to Sandy Bay on the South side of Hope Island.
Here's an aerial view to get the picture: beckwith island map - Google Maps

07-09-2008 09:04 PM

scottbr

Beckwith is actually more East and West bays. The east side which faces Giants tomb, usually fills up with boats on the weekends. Last summer I counted well over 100 boats anchored on a long weekend. This year I've yet to see anymore than 20 ( gas prices ??? ) and spent Friday of the May long weekend there all by ourselves. ( both sides)

You probably went to the West side, which faces Christian Island, and if you remember the prevailing winds on Georgian Bay are W to NW which meant you were facing right into them. I only go to the East side ( which BTW is our favorite) when the forecast calls for calm or winds from the East. There is another small bay on Christian which faces the east side of Beckwith with 10' sandy bottom, and again watch the winds overnight. We spent one night with NNW winds that the wind held the boat facing NW but the waves were curling in from the open water from the NE and rocking us from side to side ( large ) all night long.

This is the East side facing Giants Tomb.

07-09-2008 07:54 AM

catamount

OK, so now I understand the banana thing, but what's the deal with frying pans???

The real reason why bananas are not carried on ships is that they exude a gas while ripenening that accelerates the ripening of other fruit and vegetables and if stored with your other perishables will substantially shorten their shelf life.

Many cruisers, myself included, have carried a bunch of bananas hung off the stern to ripen away from any other supplies and have never had any issues with the superstition surrounding them. In fact, it was only recently that I heard that this fundemental physical attribute was construed as a superstition. They're a superb food source.

Then again, while being superstitious isn't a requirement for safe sailing, it doesn't do any harm

The real reason why bananas are not carried on ships is that they exude a gas while ripenening that accelerates the ripening of other fruit and vegetables and if stored with your other perishables will substantially shorten their shelf life.

Many cruisers, myself included, have carried a bunch of bananas hung off the stern to ripen away from any other supplies and have never had any issues with the superstition surrounding them. In fact, it was only recently that I heard that this fundemental physical attribute was construed as a superstition. They're a superb food source.

Then again, while being superstitious isn't a requirement for safe sailing, it doesn't do any harm

Andre

Andre

The gas (ethylene - C2H4) is produced in higher quantities by other fruit such as apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots etc.

Bananas produce only moderate amounts of the gas compared with the other fruit that produce high or very high amounts of the gas.

The bananas themselves have a high sensitivity to the gas so they would be more likely to over-ripen if stored with the other fruit than the other way round.

I still like the spider theory best.

07-09-2008 02:21 AM

Omatako

And when the laughing stopped the real reason emerged . . . . . .

The real reason why bananas are not carried on ships is that they exude a gas while ripenening that accelerates the ripening of other fruit and vegetables and if stored with your other perishables will substantially shorten their shelf life.

Many cruisers, myself included, have carried a bunch of bananas hung off the stern to ripen away from any other supplies and have never had any issues with the superstition surrounding them. In fact, it was only recently that I heard that this fundemental physical attribute was construed as a superstition. They're a superb food source.

Then again, while being superstitious isn't a requirement for safe sailing, it doesn't do any harm

Andre

Andre

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